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Tag: Benue

  • Benue varsity graduates 9,340

    No fewer than 9,340 graduands were churned out by the Benue State University (BSU) in Makurdi during the institution’s convocation ceremony held on Saturday. The graduands got certificates in first degrees and post-graduate degrees in different disciplines. The ceremony was held for combined set.

    The Vice-Chancellor, Prof Charity Angya, congratulated the graduating students for being privileged to attend the institution. She further urged the graduands to impact positively in environments they found themselves and be good ambassadors of the institution.

    The VC hailed Tertiary Education Trust Fund (TETFund) for its support in providing infrastructure and quality education to the students. She said the education-funding body had supported the school in equipping library, fund research and capacity development for staff.

    She also praised the state government for making funds available for smooth running of academic programmes.

    She said efforts by various stakeholders made the institution to achieve academic excellence and be rated among 10 African centres of excellence by the World Bank. She said provision of conducive environment for learning through renovation of classrooms, raising of new structures, and teaching aids to meet up standard of National Universities Commission (NUC) improve the rating of the school.

     

     

  • ‘APC’ll win Benue’

    Director with the defunct Atiku Campaign Organisation (ACO), Hon Shima Ayati, has said the All Progressives Congress (APC) will win next month’s polls in Benue.

    Speaking at the flag off of the APC campaign in Zaki Biam, Ukum Local Government Area, Hon Ayati, stated that the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) in Benue State has failed the people.

    Ayati allayed fears that former Vice-President Atiku Abubakar has abandoned the presidential candidate of the APC, Gen. Muhammadu Buhari.

    He added that Atiku is abroad for medical checkup .

    He advised the PDP to focus on issues rather than  base  frivolities.

    Ayati hailed the leader of the APC in Benue State, Senator George Akume, for providing sterling leadership for the faithful.

  • The Benue we want

    As the state and, indeed, the nation move towards the general elections with the emergence of gubernatorial hopefuls from the various political platforms, it is instructive and incumbent on us to articulate the Benue State that we want. The Benue dream has been articulated by many for various reasons ranging from pork profits to transition to political hibernation at the national assembly. That the Benue people deserve a better deal is not new in the politics of contemporary Nigeria.

    Previously regarded as second class citizens in the then Northern Nigeria political equation when it was alleged that her stool was the resting feet of regional leaders, the state has evolved into a strategic decider of Nigerian politics that deserves the best. The self worth of the average Benue indigene and resident has no less been degraded to a status that is abysmal in the Nigerian state. As we move to 2015, Benue deserves the best in leadership and resource sharing formula for the following reasons.

    First, Benue produces one of the most hard working labour forces in the country and deserves a leader that will be in the fore-front of job creation to absorb its teeming graduates. As a state that is home to indigenes-by-birth and residential status from various parts of the country, the next governor must be prepared to create competitive opportunities as is obtainable elsewhere in other leading states of the federation.

    Second, the Benue Diaspora, whether locally or internationally, must be accommodated in the scheme of things or affairs that affect the state. A Benue Diaspora Commission will have to be established by the incoming governor in 2015 to cater for the needs of indigenous professionals who want to return home either as retirees or on career advancement option. This is most important because it will be recalled that when Benue State University was established, the bulk of the Benue academia that started the university were returnees from politically-stagnated careers from federal universities that had gone political in considering their promotion criteria instead of academic productivity. Today, the story has not changed as many Benue indigenes still suffer the same fate in various federal and state universities.

    Third, as far back as the 1980s, an elder statesman, Pius Igbax, had advocated a Benue database for the skilled and unemployed in Benue from which the state government can source for her labour force. Although this was not recognised at the time, technology and local needs have made it pertinent in the current times to have such a tool in our hands through the facilitation of the state government. There are some positions in which political affiliation is not a requirement but merit which such a database or commission can provide. Fourth, thankfully, all my first three points are dedicated to the benefit of the youths. Now we have to look at the mainstay of the Benue economy, which is agriculture. A new Benue governor will have to take a cursory look at agriculture in the state and effect a change.

    Yearly, our farmers don’t have enough of the product which must be adequately addressed through the establishment of a fertilizer factory in the state. Some would rightly argue that does the presence of a cement factory in Gboko mean accessibility and affordability to the product in the state?  Everybody knows that the cement is readily available and quite affordable to builders in the state and so the same would apply to a fertilizer factory in the state. Again, there is the problem of storage facilities for agricultural produce in the state.

    Fifth, there is the need for the establishment of agricultural processing factories to be established based on a public-private initiative by a new Benue Governor in 2015.This does not imply that some are already in existence in the agrarian state even though they have been suffocated by politics of recognition.

    In conclusion, the Benue that we want deserves even development, state allocation notwithstanding. Indeed, the Benue that we want begins today.

    Emmanuel Tyokumbur                   

    Department of Zoology,

    University of Ibadan

  • Suswam, others for Benue youth carnival

    Suswam, others for Benue youth carnival

    Benue State Governor Gabriel Suswam, commissioners and prominent residents are among eminent people expected at this year’s Benue Youth Cultural Carnival procession.

    The procession will start from the Benue State University’s (BSU’s) second campus and move through major streets. It will terminate at the IBB Square in Makurdi, the state capital.

    Thje Benue Youth Cultural Carnival is the biggest youth fiesta in the North and it is an annual cultural show held throughout December.

    The Special Adviser to the Governor on Students and Youths Affairs, Comrade Terfa Akume, told our reporter that this year’s carnival procession would include cultural activities, such as masquerade display, beauty pageant, puppet show, traditional music and folks tales.

  • Stiff contest for ticket in Benue

    Stiff contest for ticket in Benue

    In Benue State, Governor Gabriel Suswam will be handing over the mantle of leadership to another person come May 2015, having spent the maximum constitutional two terms of eight years in office. Whoever will take over from Suswam will be expected to carry the people’s hopes for improved welfare and security.

    A kind of zoning arrangement has been in place over time in the state, even though it has mainly been among the two Tiv-dominated, hugely population zones of Benue North East and Benue North West. There is a growing recognition nevertheless that Benue South should be given the chance, since the two Tiv-speaking zones have governed in the persons of Senator George Akume (1999-2007) and Suswam (2007 till date). Benue South is largely Idoma.

    But, the only obstacle to the Benue South agitation is the governorship aspiration of a Tiv sub-tribe, which also feels they have been alienated. This feeling is based on the fact that of the five families that make up the Tiv lineage, the Masev, Ihiarev, Nongov, collectively known as the MINDA, have not produced a governor of the state since its creation in 1976. The other four members of the Tiv family have ruled the state and so there is sympathy among the Tiv population for the MINDA to succeed Suswam before power could rotate Benue South.

    Besides zoning, other factors expected to shape the emergence of the next governor of Benue State are political experience and educational background.

    The APC’s chances in Benue this time around are fairly bright. Though Benue has been governed by the PDP since the return to civilian rule in 1999, the APC has been making incursions into the state over the years. So far, only three persons are contesting for the party’s governorship ticket for the forthcoming election. They are: the Chairman of the House of Representatives Committee on Federal Capital Territory (FCT), Hon. Emmanuel Jime; retired Permanent Secretary, Akanga Audu; and the 2011 governorship candidate of the defunct Action Congress of Nigeria (ACN), Prof. Steven Ugba.

     

    Jime

     Given the circumstances surrounding the race for the APC ticket in the state, Jime who has become more or less the rallying point for the party in Benue State in recent times perhaps has the brightest chance in the contest. Barring any last minute political realignment in the fold, he looks set to get the ticket. This is because he appears to be the most sellable candidate for the party in next year’s governorship contest.

    This could be gleaned from the massive support he enjoys from party members and the generality of the people in the state, who see him as a symbol of their yearnings and aspirations for change. For instance, he was surrounded by die-hard supporters three weeks ago when he arrived Makurdi, the Benue State capital, to pick up his nomination form.

    A former speaker of the Benue State House of Assembly and two-time member of the House of Representative, Jime only recently defected from the PDP to the APC and he is viewed as the likely candidate of the party. Jime, who hails from Makurdi in the MINDA area, has promised to bring policies that would bring the majority of the people out of poverty, if he becomes governor.

     

    Audu

     Audu, a former Permanent Secretary who served the current administration of Governor Suswan, is perceived as competent and qualified to govern. The big-time farmer who is also from the MINDA’s axis, equally served former Governor Akume.

    But, critics say age is no longer on his side and that he may be a hard sell for the party during the election.

     

    Ugba  

     As a former governorship candidate of one of the legacy parties that formed the APC, Ugba equally has a good chance of picking the ticket. He gave incumbent Governor Suswan a good fight during the the last election in 2011 and by even by pursuing his petition to the Supreme Court.

    But, observers say he may have lost the passion and drive for the contest, following his long-drawn out battle with Suswan. For instance, such observers argue that his presence when Jime collected his nomination form suggests that he might step down for the latter in the very last minute.

     

    Others

     The former Minister of State for Trade and Investment, Dr. Samuel Ortom, who has just transferred allegiance to the APC, may be a surprise beneficiary of the party’s governorship ticket. Ortom switched loyalty at the last minute, when he realized that his aspirations within his former party, the PDP, were under threat.

    A grassroots politician, Dr. Ortom enjoyed wide support within the party and outside and therefore, stands a better chance of becoming the flag bearer of PDP in the state. He possessed the kind of charisma that is highly valued in political circles and his popularity cut across all the three senatorial districts of the state.

    Even before now, he has always enjoyed the support from the opposition. Many have argued that he knows the job description better than other aspirants, having been an industrialist, entrepreneur and a farmer by extension.

    Senator Joseph Waku also joined the contest for the governorship ticket of the APC two weeks ago. Waku left the PDP in 2003, after he had served as Senator on the platform of the party. He said he is in the race on the platform of the APC so that he would use the experience he garnered over the years to develop the state.

  • A council chief’s scorecard in Benue

    A council chief’s scorecard in Benue

    OF the 23 council chiefs in Benue State, that of Okpokwu, Hon. Juliana Obeta is clearly giving a good account of herself. Obeta, one of the two women who chair the third tier of the state government in the Benue South senatorial zone, beat all other contestants to clinch the Nigeria Union of Journalists’ “Best Local Government Chairman in Infrastructure“ award.

    She is said to have committed huge funds into infrastructure:  roads, culverts, schools, electricity and health care delivery.

    Since she assumed duty two years ago, Hon Obeta concentrated on opening up access roads in the hinterland and installing more transformers to make life more meaningful for the residents and check a drift to urban areas.

    She told The Nation that she channelled her energy into connecting every settlement and villages in Okpokwu Local Government Area to public power supply because it is a sure way of creating employment, using small – and media-scale industries.

    Apart from electricity, Mrs Obeta, a recipient of many awards, said that she attaches great importance to the health of his people.

    Within two years of her administration, she built new clinics and upgraded others in every council ward in her council.

    To boost food production, farmers were given loans and fertilisers free of charge.

    While most of the local government councils grappled with payment of salaries in the state, in Okpokwu, under Obeta, all salary arrears have been paid, with the  Nigerian Union of Local Government Employees (NULGE) giving her a clean bill of health with a  vote of confidence.

    Some politicians were said to have tried to cause disaffection between her and the state legislature, but that did not hurt her relationship with the local lawmakers.

    She told The Nation that her achievements in office have been made possible with the support of the local legislature.

    Her modest achievements are said to have surpassed all the council chairmen in office. This probably inspired the council residents to request that Governor Gabriel Suswam reappoint her as caretaker chairman of the council pending elections.

    She said that her success story in office is as a result of prudent application of resources,. With the drop in federation account accruals, she has embarked on a comprehensive internal revenue generation.

     

  • ‘Why we are backing Ortom for Benue governor’

    Edo North senatorial aspirant on the platform of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), Chief Richard Lamai, has urged his party to field a formidable candidate, who can defeat the All Progress Congress (APC) in next year’s election.

    Lamai said the party can only make an impact, if the ticket is given to the best man.  Noting that Edo State is being governed by an energetic governor, he said only an energetic candidate with massive grassroots support can wrest power from the ruling party.

    He described himself as a loyal party man, stressing that ,when he indicated his interest to contest in 2003, he was told to step down and work for the  second term of Senator Victor Oyofo.

    Lamai said he took the advice and worked towards the party’s victory in 2003 and 2007, adding that the decision enabled him to work closely with Chief Tony Anenih, Chief Raymond Dokpesi and the elder statesman, Chief Edwin Kiagbodo Clark.

    The aspirant said he is competent to represent the district at the Senate.

    He added that he has remained faithful to the PDP, even when many members dumped the party for the APC when they could not achieve their ambition within the fold.

    He implored the party to give his candidature preference, especially now that he has garnered enough exposure and experience as protégé of the legendary Clark, who is widely acknowledged as the political father of Mr. President and the Southsouth leader of the party.

    Lamai told the party leaders in the six local government areas of Edo-North that his cardinal objective is to stimulate economic development of the district through the establishment of small-scale industries in all the 64 wards of the zone.

    The senatorial aspirant said that, within 64 days in office, he would establish 64 small scale industries in each of the 64 wards of Edo North. This, he said, would be achieved through non-repayable empowerment scheme.

     

  • Confusion over PDP governorship tickets

    Confusion over PDP governorship tickets

    In the North-Central states of Benue, Plateau, Kwara and Nasarawa, there is confusion over the PDP governorship tickets, reports Remi Adelowo 

    Just a few months to the 2015 general elections, Benue State Governor, Gabriel Suswam, is still keeping his succession plan close to his chest.

    In the last one year, a number of politicians within and outside the government circles have been touted as Suswam’s anointed candidate to succeed him next year, but the governor has tactically refrained from letting the cat out of the bag yet as it concerns his favoured candidate.

    That notwithstanding, about ten aspirants, including the deputy governor, Steve Lawani; former Minister of State for Trade and Investment, Chief Samuel Ortom; former Registrar of Council for the Regulation of Engineering in Nigeria (COREN), Felix Atume; a retired permanent secretary, Mr. Hinga Biem; former speakers of the Benue State House of Assembly, Prince Terhemen Tarzoor and David Iorhemba; former Commissioner of Justice, Alex Adum and his environment counterpart, Dr. Eugene Aliegba and Permanent Secretary of Government House Administration, Dr. Tivlumun Nyitse and that of local government, Mr. Andy Uwouku, have declared their intention to succeed Suswam.

    Others are a commissioner in the Federal Character Commission, Prince Simon Aondona, an astute politician, Mr. Basil Mbatsiantim; Commissioner for Lands and Survey, Mr. John Tondo and state chairman of Nigerian Labour Congress (NLC), Mr. Simon Anchaver, among others.

    Within the past few months, the governor and the paramount ruler of the Tiv in the state, HRH Akawe Torkula have been busy convening meetings to resolve issues that have arisen because of speculated trimming of governorship contenders in the state.

    While many political pundits have expressed doubts about the streamlining of the governorship aspirants from the favoured Masev, Iharev and Nongov entity, otherwise known as MINDA, where zoning is reportedly favoured, the declarations from respected elders and stakeholders in the area to prune the list of aspirants to four has unsettled the camps of many aspirants.

    At the onset, the traditional authorities claimed that the pruning of the aspirants from MINDA was because of their large number and that the decision was taken to enhance commitment and focus of the entity to the project which has not enjoyed the seat since the creation of the state.

    A few weeks ago, another crucial meeting was reportedly held in Gboko between the Tor Tiv and all the governorship contenders from the MINDA extraction, where consultation waiver was granted unanimously to only four aspirants: Felix Atume (Gwer-West); Dr. Samuel Ortom (Guma); Mr. Hinga Biem (Gwer) and Prince Terhemen Tarzoor (Makurdi).

    But sources claim that other governorship aspirants from the Idoma ethnic group are also gearing for the 2015 race on the assumption that aspirants from MINDA may fail to reach a consensus on single candidate and regardless of the positions of decisions reached by some powerful interests in the state on who succeeds Suswam.

    For instance, the deputy governor, Chief Steven Lawani, and a former minister, Mr. Sam Ode, have stepped up their drive since the pruning exercise came to the fore.

    With the seeming endorsement of Atume, a former Director-General of Benue Rural Development Agency (BERDA), former commissioner of works and President of the Nigerian Society of Engineers (NSE), Ortom; former Permanent Secretary, Biem and Tarzoor, who is a former Speaker of the state House of Assembly to contest the PDP primaries, the battle line appears drawn between them and the other aspirants.

    Lawani, who obtained the governorship nomination form from the PDP national headquarters, sources disclosed, have vowed not to step down from the race in spite of pressure from certain quarters to “read the body language of his boss and do the needful.”

    Presently, PDP leaders in the state are said to be worried that the outcome of the governorship primaries may throw the party into a serious crisis capable of truncating its hold on the governorship of the state since 1999.

     Plateau

    Plateau State Governor, Jonah Jang, had been evasive on his plan for succession when his term expires in 2015.

    The best the governor has revealed is that he is relying on “God’s direction on who succeeds him.”

    But despite the governor’s position, political forces from the three senatorial zones of the state have been holding meetings, consultations and sending emissaries to lobby Jang to anoint one of their favoured governorship aspirants.

    As it were, the three senatorial districts have produced civilian governors in the state, starting from the Southern zone of the state that produced governors such as late Solomon Daushep Lar in the Second Republic and Ambassador Fidelis Tapgun in the aborted Third Republic, while the Central zone produced Senator Joshua Dariye as a two-term governor of the state from 1999 to 2007 before Jang, from the Northern zone who was elected governor in 2007.

    This political scenario is currently creating a serious debate as to which of the senatorial zones should produce Jang’s successor in 2015.

    While some stakeholders are canvassing for a level playing field for all the governorship aspirants, others are of the opinion that no aspirant from the North senatorial zone where the incumbent governor hails from should be allowed to succeed him next year.

    As the debate rages on, rumours are rife in the North Central state that Jang has allegedly anointed Senator Gyang Pwajok, his kinsman from the Berom ethnic group.

    Jang has, however, denied endorsing the lawmaker and indeed any member of his kitchen cabinet to take over from him, describing those claiming that he had already zoned the 2015 ticket to the Northern Senatorial District as prophets of doom.

    But many PDP chieftains in the state are taking his denial with a pinch of the salt. They insist the governor has allegedly made up his mind to hand over to Pwajok, his former Chief of Staff, while he (Jang) would take over the lawmaker’s seat in the National Assembly.

    Against this backdrop, other aspirants in the PDP appear ready to take on the governor.

    Jang’s deputy, Ignatius Longjan, is poised to take the plunge, as he had collected his nomination form from the national secretariat of the PDP despite the perceived opposition from his boss who wants his deputy to leave the stage in 2015 for younger ones to continue from where the duo will stop in 2015.

    Speaking while receiving the form from a member of the Plateau State House of Assembly from Qua’an-Pan-North constituency, Mr. Joe Dawam, at his lodge in Rayfield, on Monday, Longjan, who comes from the Southern zone, said he had no option but to bow to the pressure mounted on him by his people who have asked him to contest.

    Interestingly, Jang’s kinsman and staunch supporter, Mr. Bulus Dareng, was present at the event.

    Dareng described Longjan as a committed and loyal deputy to Jang, adding that the deputy governor has played a vital role in the Jang-led administration.

    If Jang eventually has his way in foisting Pwajok, sources say PDP members in the Central and South zone have allegedly resolved to work against the party’s candidate premising their position on the need to ensure equity and fair play in the rotation of the governorship in the state.

    Kwara

    The choice of the 2015 governorship candidate by the Kwara State chapter of the PDP is one issue that may define its future in next year’s general elections and even beyond.

    At the last count, about seven aspirants are jostling for the ticket, with each of them banking on forces within and beyond the state to emerge victorious.

    Lining up for the primaries include a former vice chancellor, Prof. Abdulrahman Oba, two former senators, Gbemisola Saraki and Suleiman Ajadi, Mr. Dele Belgore, a businessman, Jani Ibrahim, amongst others.

    But of the lot, only Ibrahim has formally declared his intention during a rally that held in Ilorin, the state capital, with Saraki and Belgore still said to be consulting with their supporters before officially throwing their hats into the ring.

    Even as the campaign by the aspirants is yet to kick off, there are unconfirmed reports that a chieftain of the party, Hajia Bola Shagaya, holds the ace in who wins the governorship ticket of the party.

    Shagaya has in recent months emerged as the power broker who determines who gets what and how in the Kwara PDP using her close links in the Presidency to maximum effect.

    So far, the wealthy businesswoman is yet to back any of the aspirants, even as there are reports that chieftains of the party like Oba, Ajadi and a current senator, Simeon Ajibola are not positively disposed to accepting Shagaya’s leadership status of the party.

    But from all indications, major actors of Kwara PDP, all laying claim to the leadership of the party, look set to take themselves to the cleaners in the battle for the 2015 governorship ticket.

    Nasarawa

    Immediate former Minister of Information, Labaran Maku, is not taken for granted in his ambition to govern his home state, Nasarawa come 2015.

    Following his resignation from the federal cabinet a few weeks ago, Maku has plunged head-on into the governorship race, vowing to unseat the incumbent governor, Tanko Al-Makura of the All Progressives Congress (APC).

    However, the former deputy governor has a few other formidable aspirants to contend with for the PDP’s governorship ticket.

    Senator representing Nasarawa North, Solomon Ewuga, a former Presidency aide, Chris Mamman, and a former governor of the state, Akwe Doma, are other PDP chieftains also interested in the ticket.

    While Maku seems to have an edge in the race based on his alleged endorsement for the exalted seat by some power brokers in the seat of power, his fellow aspirants are also not taking any chances.

    The major dilemma that the Nasarawa PDP is however faced with is how to handle the aftermath of the governorship primaries, as none of the aspirants, all formidable in their own right, is willing to step down from the race.

    Several attempts by influential stakeholders in the state to agree on a consensus candidate for the PDP particularly among those from the Eggon ethnic group have been fruitless so far.

    The Eggon, considered as the largest ethnic group in the state, has never produced the governor of the state, but there are fears that lack of understanding among the array of aspirants from the area may be its undoing.

    Will the Nasarawa PDP agree on a consensus governorship candidate for the 2015 election? Will all the major aspirants rally round the eventual winner of the primaries? Only time will tell.

  • PDP stakeholders back Mark

    PDP stakeholders back Mark

    Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) stakeholders in Benue South Senatorial District have endorsed Senate President David Mark as their candidate for next year’s senatorial election.

    At a meeting at the weekend at Double K Hotel in Otukpo, Benue State, national and state lawmakers from Zone C, PDP chieftains, youths and women leaders, in a voice vote, adopted Mark as the sole candidate for the election.

    Mark, who was represented by Minister of Interior Abba Morro, said he was overwhelmed by the people’s confidence in him, saying he would not disappoint them.

    State PDP Chairman Agbo Emmanuel said it would be “injustice” if Mark was not returned to the senate, urging other aspirants to support the Senate president.

    Former Permanent Secretary, Ministry of Defense, Chief Mike Okibo, has indicated interest in the senatorial seat.

     

     

  • Unease as Benue offloads shares in Dangote Cement

    Unease as Benue offloads shares in Dangote Cement

    •Opposition demands explanation from govt

    The decision of the Benue State government to offload Dangote Cement shares held in trust for the indigenes by the Benue Investment and Property Company Ltd is causing ripples of anger in the state.

    The sell-off, which is being done in batches on the floor of the Nigerian  Stock Exchange (NSE),  has cleaned out about 30million shares, valued at over N7billion. The state has about 90million shares in Dangote Cement Plc in favour of the Benue Investment and Property Company Ltd, the local government councils and the parastatals.

    The Nation learnt that the government plans to sell the shares before the elections, setting a target of N20billion from the exercise. If carried out, Benue State would have lost all the shares of its portfolio  investment in the cement manufacturing conglomerate.

    It was gathered, however, that many Benue indigenes were taken aback by the government’s decision, arguing that it would deprive the people of their priced investment in the foremost cement manufacturing entity.

    Chieftains of the All Progressives Congress (APC) queried the motive behind the sale and urged the government to clear the air on the development to avoid any untoward reaction from the people.

    It was learnt that people questioned the rational by the  government to deprive the indigenes of what they termed, “this valuable investment,” at a time the company is doing well in the capital market, pointing out that if no action was taken to prevent the wholesale unbundling  of the shares, the state would be the looser for it, since the proceeds so far realised had not been invested in any profitable venture, or disclosed to the House of Assembly for  appropriation as required by law.

    They cited what happened in Delta State when its shares in Airtel were surreptitiously disposed and the proceeds invested as private equity in the defunct Oceanic Bank.

    “We suspect the government is building a war chest for the 2015 elections by the surreptitious manner the shares are being sold, otherwise, what stops it from informing the indigenes about it,” a source said, asking whether the government obtained the consent of the House of Assembly  before selling the shares.

    “Where is the money realised so far from the transaction kept?  These and other questions will be asked by us,” an APC chieftain from the state told The Nation at the weekend.